A clip of James Acaster mocking Ricky Gervais during his 2019 stand-up show has re-emerged in the wake of the SuperNature controversy.
Gervais' new comedy special SuperNature may have only dropped on Netflix yesterday, 24 May, but it has already faced extreme backlash, specifically from the trans community.
In light of the criticism, a clip from fellow comedian Acaster's 2019 show Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 has been splashed across social media.
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In the clip, Acaster calls out 'edgy comedians' for saying 'whatever they like'.
The comedian says: "No one tells them what they can and can’t say. They walk straight on stage, top of their specials sometimes, and do 10 solid minutes just slagging off transgender people.
"People on the internet get upset about it… the comedian’s always like, ‘Bad luck, that’s my job, I’m a stand-up comedian, I’m there to challenge people. If you don’t like being challenged, don’t watch my show. What’s the matter guys, too challenging for you?’
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"Yeah, cause you know who’s been long overdue a challenge? The trans community. They’ve had their guard down for too long, if you ask me. They’ll all be checking their privilege on the way home, thanks to you, you brave little cis boy."
And by 'brave little cis boy,' Acaster later clarified he was referring to Gervais.
"I used to name one of the comedians that was about, in that routine, but it always got really awkward in the room because apparently in 2019 most people are still more than happy to laugh at trans people but they’re not comfortable laughing at Ricky Gervais yet.
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"That’s the line," he said.
The section from SuperNature which received widespread criticism saw openly transgender stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard become the centre of Gervais' joke.
Gervais said: "Eddie Izzard. She’s brilliant, isn’t she? She’s not only a great comedienne, she’s also a great actress, isn’t she? She was brilliant in that thing as that man.
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"Oh, women! Not all women, I mean the old-fashioned ones. The old-fashioned women, the ones with wombs. Those f*****g dinosaurs.
"I love the new women. They’re great, aren’t they? The new ones we’ve been seeing lately. The ones with beards and c****."
Gervais called the 'new women' 'good as gold' and claimed he 'love[s] them'.
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"And now the old-fashioned ones say, ‘Oh, they want to use our toilets'.
"'Why shouldn’t they use your toilets?' 'For ladies!' They are ladies — look at their pronouns! What about this person isn’t a lady?'
"'Well, his penis.’ ‘Her penis, you f*****g bigot!’ 'What if he r***s me?' 'What if she r***s you, you f******g TERF wh**e?'" he concluded.
At the end of SuperNature, Gervais stated: "Full disclosure: In real life of course I support trans rights. I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights. Live your best life.
"Use your preferred pronouns. Be the gender that you feel you are. But meet me halfway, ladies. Lose the cock. That’s all I’m saying."
Despite Gervais saying on The One Show that his 'target wasn’t trans folk, but trans activist ideology', Robbie de Santos, director of communications at Stonewall, an LGBT rights organisation, noted how 'disappointing' Gervais' comments were.
De Santos stated: "[Gervais has] once again chosen to use his global platform to make fun of trans people.
"Punching down is never funny, as demonstrated by reviews of his special."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence contact Mindline Trans+ on 0300 330 5468. The line is open 8pm–midnight Mondays and Fridays and is run by trans volunteers
Topics: Ricky Gervais, Netflix, TV and Film
Poppy Bilderbeck